A Heart in Flight
by SerenityFalconNormandy
Summary: Freeform one-word prompt: Flight. Marian has to take the greatest leap of faith: That Fenris will stay with her if she decides to defend the mages from the Right of Annulment.


[ _Varric took a sip of his water, and continued with his story, hearing Hawke telling him what she'd been thinking on that awful day as if it were yesterday_.]

 _We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment… and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly._

Marian remembered Flemeth saying that to her so many years ago on the Sundermount as she watched the rubble from the Chantry fly through the air. She watched one chunk arc gracefully overhead before slamming through the roof of one of the Lowtown tenements, screams of fear audible even from a distance. Sebastian was on his knees behind her, screaming something, but all she could see and hear with clarity were the plumes of smoke that signalled fires starting in both High and Lowtown, and the screams of the people whose life had quite literally started coming down around their ears.

"Why? Why would you _do_ such a thing?"

"I removed the chance of compromise because there _is no compromise._ "

Meredith's hiss jangled on Marian's nerves, made every hair on her body stand on end. The delight and vindictiveness in it made her want to vomit.

"The Grand Cleric has been slain by magic. The Chantry destroyed." Meredith spun, an unholy glee lighting her bright blue eyes. "As Knight-Commander of Kirkwall, I hereby invoke the Right of Annulment! Every mage in the Circle is to be executed! Immediately!"

[ _The Seeker made a noise in the back of her throat. Seems even she didn't believe that the Circle should pay for the actions of a lone apostate._ ]

The declaration hit Marian like a punch in the stomach. _Maker-dammit, Anders!_ His stupidity was getting all the innocent mages in the Gallows killed! Her fingers clenched around her staff, and she flicked her eyes to Orsino.

"The Circle didn't even do this! Champion, you can't let her! Help us stop this madness!"

"And I demand you stand with _us._ " Meredith's smug little smirk was grating on Marian. She knew she had her backed into a corner. "Even _you_ must see that this outrage cannot be tolerated!"

From her left, Sebastian snarled, "Why are we debating the Right of Annulment when the monster who did this is right here?"

[ _Wanting to keep the Seeker and her Templar lackeys as far away from Starkhaven as possible, Varric decided to leave out Broody's part in restraining Choir Boy during his outburst._ ]

The archer lunged at Anders, and to Marian's surprise, Fenris caught him by the arm. Wrapping his arms around his friend's shoulders, the elf held him back as he struggled to get free, and hissed, "I swear to you, I will kill him."

Anders ignored Sebastian, turning to Marian with that glimmer she recognized from his nights at the mansion ranting about his manifesto. "It can't be stopped now, you have to choose."

Marian swallowed, feeling her stomach drop. She couldn't let Meredith slaughter all those innocent men, women, and children she'd defended time and again. If it hadn't been for being named Champion, _she_ would be in there with them. But Fenris… "I don't want to get involved in this-"

"You are already involved!" Meredith cut off her weak protest with a hard slash of her hand, "You are the Champion of Kirkwall! Do your duty, or fall with these mages! It is your choice!"

Trying to avoid the leap of faith she didn't want to force, she rounded on Anders, "Was this your plan, Anders? I could have stopped you!"

"No, this had to happen! The Circle is an injustice. In many places, beyond Kirkwall. The world needs to see!"

Writhing against Fenris's arms, Sebastian ground out, "Elthina is not the Circle! She was a good woman, and you murdered her!"

[ _Varric stopped, wondering if telling the Seeker about what Hawke had said next would get her into more trouble._ ]

Marian snapped at Sebastian, "One who ignored our pleas for her to do something time and again, but she did nothing! Don't act like she was innocent and pure, Sebastian, you were there when I practically got on my knees and begged her to do something about Meredith blocking the appointment of a new Viscount, and the Tranquilizing of Harrowed mages, and she just prattled about neutrality! I don't know about you, but that doesn't seem like the actions of a good woman."

Sebastian stopped struggling, lips pinched together. She could see the image of the woman who had been motherly to him and the Grand Cleric who had neglected her duties warring in him.

[ _Instead, Varric decided to focus on Orsino and Anders. If they noticed no one reacted to Choir Boy's outburst, so what?_ ]

Orsino turned on Anders, shoving an accusing finger in his face. "You fool, you've doomed us all!"

Anders knocked his hand away, "We were already doomed; a quick death now, or a slow one later. I'd rather die fighting!"

 _You don't get to make that choice for everyone else!_ Balling up a fist, Marian punched Anders. "You're a murderer! The Grand Cleric, the mages! Their blood is on your hands!"

Holding his bleeding nose, Anders wheezed, "I know."

"It doesn't matter. Even if I wished to, I could not stay my hand." The self-righteous smirk on Meredith's face said exactly what she wished. "The people will demand blood."

Taking a deep breath, and closing her eyes, Marian said a quick prayer. _Maker, Andraste, whomever is listening… please, PLEASE let Fenris understand. Let him see that they're innocent and deserve to be protected from this madwoman._

"It won't be easy, but I'll defend you." Her stomach dropped in a free-fall as she leapt.

"But what of Anders?!"

"Hawke, if you do this, I don't know if I can follow."

"And so you would defend these mages, after all they have done? Throw yourself at a hopeless cause?" Marian's heart joined her stomach in the free-fall.

"You sure about this? Even you might not win this fight."

"I know we can do this. I believe in you, Hawke." Merrill's unquestioning belief in her brought tears to Marian's eyes.

"See reason, sister. I don't want to fight you." Carver was pale under his tan, fear pinching his face.

"Think carefully, Champion," Marian really wanted to punch the smug look off of Meredith's face. "Stand with them and you share their fate."

"I already made my choice." She straightened her spine and stood tall in her Champion's armor. "I can live with that."

"Thank the Maker." Varric… was rooting for her?

Marian started to shake when she heard Fenris sigh behind her.

"It is a mistake," Marian inhaled a sob, but stopped when she heard what came next, "but I will not abandon you."

Marian's heart took flight and _soared._

[ _The Seeker let out a soft sigh. Varric raised a brow. Did she have a romantic side? Damn, he definitely should have played that up more earlier._ ]


End file.
